As we reported back in March, KTM’s electric dirt bike is coming closer and closer to being ready for consumers, and now information has come out that it will be a 2012 model from the Austrian company. This information is in-line with a November EICMA debut that we’ve been hearing, but perhaps the most tantalizing news we’ve heard is the bike’s sub-€10,000 price tag in the EU. This would put the KTM Freeride (oh man, we hope that name gets changed) directly in competition with Swiss electric dirt bike manufacturer Quantya and American electric motorcycle manufacturer Zero Motorcycles, both of whom are in the sub-€10,000 category with their dirt bike offerings.
Don’t just expect to see a dirt model at EICMA though, a street-legal version of the bike, an MX version, and a supermotard version of the Freeride concept will also debut at Milan show. Other details on the 2012 KTM Freeride progeny is that they will make 31.7 lbs•ft of torque at 500 rpm, with 30 peak horsepower (10hp continuous). The frame will be a mix of steel and aluminum, while the battery pack will have 2.5 kWh worth of electrons in its lithium-manganese battery pack. These numbers should put KTM at the top of the heap performance-wise to its comparable competitiors, though it’s misleading to make comparisons from merely quoted figures.
Tech specs aside, perhaps the most interesting part about this news is that a major OEM is entering into the electric side of the motorcycle industry with a serious offering. When you consider how many dealerships worldwide carry the KTM banner, which means sales, service, and repair all within a customer’s reach, KTM should sell quite well out the door. If the performance and price specs remain this competitive at the time of the bike’s debut, we’d tip KTM to be the electric market leader in 2012. There’s a long time until now and EICMA, and an even longer time until the 2012 models start rolling out, but things are getting exciting in the electric dirt bike space.
Source: MotoMobil
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